One of the more unique applications that I’ve come across recently is an interesting little app by bit-side GmbH, developer of various mobile and PC applications. PanoMan is an intelligent app that allows you to use your camera-equipped S60 3rd device to take panoramic photos. Using what bit-side refers to as an “innovative, fully automatic stitching-algorithm,” it allows the user to rotate in place while it captures their surroundings. We’re not simply talking about wide angle here – we’re talking up to 360º panoramic images!
The app opens to a stylish and professional looking interface with a view finder window at the center. Pressing the joystick up/down allows you to scroll through the few available settings – resolution (2200×240 or 1280×120) and storage (phone memory or card memory). “Trigger” starts and stops the image capture function. PanoMan also comes equipped with its own image browser that allows you to browse through your image gallery and even send pics via bluetooth, infrared, or MMS.
Operation is very simple. Once the desired resolution is selected, just line up the beginning of your shot and select Trigger with the center joystick key. As you rotate you can watch in the viewfinder as PanoMan stitches frames together until you press the center joystick key again to end the capture. After a few seconds of work your finished product is displayed and you can choose to save or discard your new panorama.
In terms of use and image quality I’ve had mixed results. It takes a few tries to learn how fast to rotate to get the best quality. In poorly lit rooms or cloudy weather I’ve had a great deal of difficulty producing an image that isn’t blurry. This is certainly due in part to the camera itself.
On sunny days I’ve had very good results. Usually I take each picture several times and rotate at different speeds to ensure that one of them will come out well (it’s impossible to tell until you transfer the picture to your PC). The example below was taken outside of my office building and represents just under 180º of rotation.
Download PanoMan – Automatic Panorama Stitcher for Nokia E50, N71, N73, N93 (220 Kb)
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